Demolition drive begins to restore two rivers in Vaniyambadi

The demolition drive is part of the ₹9-crore project to restore Kallar and Chinna Palar rivers. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Work to demolish buildings belonging to the washermen community on Chinna Palar, a key tributary of Palar, by the Water Resources Department (WRD) in Vaniyambadi began on Tuesday (June 3, 2025).

The demolition drive is part of the ₹9-crore project to restore Kallar and Chinna Palar rivers, which are key tributaries of Palar in the town. The rivers flow through the town before converging with the Palar along the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway.

“Demolition of structures along the Chinna Palar river bund will create more space for floodwater discharge. The work will be completed by December 2025,” J. Pavithran, Assistant Engineer, WRD (Vaniyambadi), told The Hindu.

According to WRD officials, affected persons can seek alternative place from the district administration.

The officials said the existing buildings, located on a one-acre plot along the river, were built by the district administration over two decades ago. These had benefitted more than 250 families of the washermen community in Vaniyambadi and adjoining villages. However, the structures hindered the flow of rainwater during monsoon, leading to inundation of several areas in Vaniyambadi. 

They said the work, undertaken under the Rehabilitation and Restoration of Lakes Scheme 2024-25, involves removing silt deposited on the riverbed to a distance of 3 km. This would help make the riverbed uniform, ensuring smooth water flow. The bund of the rivers will also be bolstered with barriers to prevent encroachments.

They added that the rivers faced another key challenge: garbage dumping. Around 210 tonnes of garbage was estimated to be thrown into the waterbodies. In order to curb such practice, both sides of the rivers would be fenced-off using a 6-feet-tall barrier to a distance of 1.5 km.

Additionally, over 30 inlets that discharge sewage from the town into the river would be closed permanently, the officials said.

At present, the non-perennial rivers run for around 3 km in the town. Each river, on an average, is around 45 metres wide with a depth of 4.25 metres.

Officials said the Kallar river could discharge 3,800 cusecs of water and Chinna Palar around 8,500 cusecs of water. Both waterbodies help prevent inundation of the town during monsoon.

Published - June 04, 2025 01:05 pm IST